Authorities in Greece have intensified investigations into how an explosive-packed drone ended up in waters off the west of the country. An inquiry, involving specialised military teams, broadened at the weekend after bomb disposal experts detonated the unmanned device at sea. The Greek defence minister, Nikos Dendias, said the drone, suspected to be of Ukrainian origin, almost certainly came from a foreign state although he stopped short of identifying the country.
“You saw a drone belonging to a foreign country that was retrieved outside Greek territorial waters a few days ago... we know what it is, and we more or less know what it contains,” Defense Minister Nikos Dendias told a conference of the ruling New Democracy party in Thessaloniki.
We have not seen the oceans this turbulent and dangerous since when countries met to establish rules decades ago. Shipping has been a dangerous endeavor, subject to piracy and sea banditry.
The Maritime Information Cooperation and Awareness Center (MICA center) detects any form of bombardment and immediately sends nearby ships an encrypted message, sharing the nature of the event, its context and exact position.
You have to quickly follow up with boardings, or otherwise those vessels will conclude that it was an empty threat, and that is the regrettable situation we are in now.
The first warning of such a crypto scam came from the Greek maritime risk management company MARISKS on April 20, according to Reuters. The company alerted shipowners that scammers posing as Iranian authorities had sent messages to shipping companies asking for 'transit fee' payments in bitcoin or tether.
"As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran - anywhere they operate. International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels."
The Prime Minister intervened diplomatically after 21 hours of negotiations in Pakistan ended without an agreement on Iran's nuclear program, raising fears of renewed confrontation between the United States and Iran in one of the world's most strategically sensitive maritime corridors.
The UAE is advocating for a broad international coalition and is working with Bahrain on a proposed United Nations Security Council resolution to provide legal backing for the force.
The Royal Navy has previously joined allies in action against the vessels, helping to track a sanctioned Russian oil tanker in the Mediterranean which was then boarded by the French navy.
Iran has stated that the Strait of Hormuz is open for ships from countries that are not considered enemies, indicating a selective blockade. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi emphasized that they are ready to provide safe passage to Japanese vessels, urging them to contact Iran for discussions on transit.
